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A marble sculpture of a person standing upright on a decorated pedestal. They are wearing detailed pants, a draped top, and a small crown. Both of their hands have been broken off.

The marble sculpture of a person standing upright on a decorated pedestal. They are wearing detailed pants that fall just above their feet, a draped top that has a clasp detail on their chest, and a small crown. Both of their arms are down by their side and bent, both of their hands have been broken off. The figure is off-white in color with some blue tint on their top and red tint on their pants.

Gallery Text

In Mahayana Buddhism, bodhisattvas are countless in number. Scriptures identify a number of them by name and specify their particular powers. The small bottle, or vase, in this figure’s crown identifies this bodhisattva as the Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta, who embodies the power of wisdom. Although some Buddhist sculptures were created as stand-alone images, most were presented in sets; images of Mahasthamaprapta were typically paired with those of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion, for example. In East Asia, this pair of bodhisattvas is generally associated with the Buddha Amitabha, who presides over the Western Pure Land, a place offering the ideal conditions for attaining awakening in a single lifetime.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1943.53.23
Title
Standing Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta (Da Shizhi)
Other Titles
Alternate Title: Ta Shi chih
Classification
Sculpture
Work Type
figure, sculpture
Date
c. 570
Places
Creation Place: East Asia, China, Hebei province
Period
Northern Qi, 550-577
Culture
Chinese
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/204141

Location

Location
Level 1, Room 1610, Buddhist Sculpture, Buddhism and Early East Asian Buddhist Art
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Physical Descriptions

Medium
White marble with polychromy
Dimensions
sculpture with attached circular base and tang (not visible): H. 104.1 x W. 25.4 x D. 15.9 cm (41 x 10 x 6 1/4 in.)
display dimensions (sculpture with separate lotus base): H. 117.2 x W. 31.8 x D. 30.5 cm (46 1/8 x 12 1/2 x 12 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Grenville L. Winthrop, New York (by 1943), bequest; to Fogg Art Museum, 1943.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop
Accession Year
1943
Object Number
1943.53.23
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

THIS WORK MAY NOT BE LENT BY THE TERMS OF ITS ACQUISITION TO THE HARVARD ART MUSEUMS.

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Publication History

  • Osvald Sirén, Chinese Sculpture from the Fifth to the Fourteenth Century, E. Benn (London, 1925), Pl. 331 A
  • Osvald Sirén, Chinese Sculpture from the Fifth to the Fourteenth Century, E. Benn (London, 1925), p. 89
  • Osvald Sirén, "Chinese Marble Sculptures of the Transition Period", Bulletin of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities (Stockholm, Sweden, 1940), no. 12, pp. 473-496, plate VIII d
  • Lin Baoyao (or Lin Pao-yao), Sui Stone Sculptures of Budhisattva from Shanxi in the TOP Collection, Study of the Arts, Taipei National University of the Arts (Taipei, Taiwan, 2017), No. 32, p. 430, fig. 13 reproduced in b/w

Exhibition History

  • S426: Chinese Buddhist Cave Sculpture, Harvard University Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 10/20/1985 - 04/30/2008
  • 32Q: 1610 Buddhist Art I, Harvard Art Museums, 11/16/2014 - 01/01/2050

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu